Cross Country Claims All-Academic Honors

NORMAN –The University of Oklahoma men's and women's cross country teams finished their season in November but have recently collected honors off the course. Both the men's and the women's teams were named to the 2018 NCAA Division I cross country all-academic team list by the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).

In addition to the awards for the two teams, freshman Haley Herberg was named to the women's All-Academic team as an individual.

This marks the fifth consecutive year for the women to be recognized and fourth straight year for the men. It is also the sixth honor for the men in the last seven years. To qualify as a USTFCCCA All-Academic cross country team, the team must have had a cumulative team GPA of 3.00 or better and have started at least five runners at their respective NCAA regional championship. Overall, there were 427 teams that earned distinction from the USTFCCCA for their efforts both athletically and academically.

The OU women finished the fall semester with a 3.33 GPA with the men earning a 3.28.

Herberg earns the mark after claiming 2018 Big 12 XC Women's Newcomer of the Year. The Mission Viejo, Calif., native earned All-Midwest Region honors in the fall after finishing fifth and earning an automatic-bid to the 2018 NCAA Cross Country Championships. An environmental engineering major, Herberg was named an All-Big 12 Conference honoree in the fall.

To qualify for the USTFCCA All-Academic cross country team, the student-athlete must have compiled a cumulative grade point average of 3.25 and have either earned USTFCCCA All-America status or finished in the NCAA region's top 25 (or top 10 percent) in 2017. A total of 265 student-athletes were honored for their athletic and academic performance.